Did Juventus turn a corner in the Champions League victory over Malmo?

Massimiliano Allegri’s second project at Juventus is officially underway. A few weeks delayed, sure, but we got there in the end.

Following a start to the domestic campaign that’s been marred by a perpetuation of individual incompetence and the stubbornness of CONMEBOL, Juventus finally secured their first win of the 2021/22 season at the fourth attempt.

It arrived on Matchday 1 of the Champions League, where a ravenous Malmo awaited. The Swedes smelt blood as a vulnerable Bianconeri strolled out to the Eleda Stadium, but it was the winless visitors who’d eventually prevail with a 3-0 victory and the optimal start to their European campaign.

It certainly wasn’t all plain sailing for Allegri’s men, however.

Malmo cause early problems

Galvanised by a feverish Malmo crowd, Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side started superbly, with their 3-5-1-1 troubling Juventus early.

With Juve defending in a 4-4-2, Malmo had a natural overload in the build-up phase which allowed them to retain possession in the first phase against a tame Bianconeri press. A stunned visitors failed to defend with any vigour or intensity in the opening stages, which allowed Malmo, who pressed superbly with their wing-backs engaging Juve’s full-backs high upfield, to dominate.

The movement of fluid second striker Veljko Birmančević, meanwhile, often overwhelmed the double pivot of Rodrigo Bentancur and Manuel Locatelli. With Matthijs de Ligt unsure whether to track Birmančević’s forays into the midfield zone, Malmo created yet another overload and possessed a ubiquitous progressive option between the lines.

Overall, the hosts did a stellar job in the opening stages at manipulating Juventus’ midfield via the deeper positioning of Bonke Innocent and the impressive Anders Christiansen. These two attracted pressure from Juve’s pivot, thus opening up a haven of space for Birmančević in front of the Juventus defence, who failed to condense the pitch.

It was a disjointed start for the visitors, one that resembled their second-half display in Naples following Allegri’s switch to a 3-5-2. Luciano Spalletti had the Juventus boss’ number at the weekend and for a while, it looked like Tomasson would outwit the master pragmatist.

So, amid their structural struggles, the signs were ominous for the visitors before the dynamic of the contest completely altered.

The turning point

When the Juventus XI was revealed, there were plenty of concerns over the left-hand side where Alex Sandro and Adrien Rabiot resided. However, Sandro’s newfound aggression and adventure ensured the dynamic was fruitful.

The Brazilian’s high and wide positioning down the left allowed Rabiot to drift infield and occupy the half-space when Juve had possession. The left-back had a couple of rare touches in the opposition box before he opened the scoring with a stooping header after meeting a Juan Cuadrado cross via Bentancur’s inadvertent touch.

The goal came after Juve’s first period of sustained possession and the attacking sequence began with Sandro down the left flank, who passed inside to Rabiot in the half-space before the ball was worked out to the opposite touchline via Morata and Bentancur.

Sandro’s opener proved the turning point. Instantly, a sucker-punched Malmo evolved from a ravenous wolfpack into an unenthused unit. The Bianconeri took control as the hosts’ intensity waned, thus allowing the subtle brilliance of Locatelli to manifest. The summer arrival began to dictate proceedings thanks to his ridiculous technical repertoire. Every action was completed with the utmost efficiency, as the tempo of the Bianconeri’s play revolved around the sultry Italian’s desires.

With Locatelli grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck, Juventus settled and they started to exploit Malmo’s high defensive line with consummate ease. Leonardo Bonucci was made to look like Tom Brady as the hosts allowed him to drop dime after dime in behind their defence.

A poor press combined with a high defensive line is a recipe for disaster, and after Sandro’s opener, Malmo’s pressing went AWOL. Thus, Juventus had plenty of joy and their second goal stemmed from a simple ball over the top that Alvaro Morata latched onto. The Spaniard then earned a pretty soft penalty, one that Paulo Dybala would just about dispatch.

Then, after a defensive mix-up, Morata netted his second of the season to put the game beyond the quickly fading hosts. While the scoreline was a little unfair on Malmo, Juventus were justly rewarded for a 25-minute period of total control after going 1-0 up.

Calm second-half

Despite the healthy lead against a side currently placed third in Swedish Allsvenskan, Juventus’ recent knack of shooting themselves in the foot meant you couldn’t yet pencil in the ‘W’ for the Bianconeri.

However, the manner in which they went about the final 45 minutes was reassuring. On the whole, there was little by way of tactical alterations as the hosts appeared content to save face with a mere 3-0 defeat. Juventus, though, continued to create in transition and via the direct route in behind. If it wasn’t for the shot-stopping capacity of Ismael Diawara, who saved well from Morata, Dybala and substitute Moise Kean, Juve could well have ended up with five or six.

Allegri, nevertheless, would’ve been pleased with Dybala’s end to the contest following a sloppy first half, as he produced a couple of wonderful sequences, including a sumptuous flick for Morata to round off a swift counter-attack. A Wojciech Szczesny clean sheet is also good news following his woeful start to the season. The Polish international had little to do on Tuesday night before he saved smartly from Martin Olsson late on.

Onto Milan

Overall, it was the ideal night for Juventus after their difficult domestic start. Allegri will be thrilled with how his side tempered the momentum of the hosts after their worryingly bright start without any notable adjustments being forced upon his team.

Crucially, the victory gives Juve a little bit of momentum ahead of another huge Serie A fixture this weekend as AC Milan come to town on Sunday night. The Rossoneri will be a serious test for the Bianconeri, with Allegri set to welcome Federico Chiesa back to the matchday squad following his two-game absence.

Against a tactically sound, well-balanced Milan, we’ll really see if the Bianconeri turned a corner in Sweden, or whether the victory was a mere false dawn against inferior opposition.